OKLAHOMA CITY – Luka Dončić will be back in the starting lineup Sunday, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber also will return to action when the Mavericks visit the Thunder (6 p.m. tipoff).
Kristaps Porzingis (rest) will not play against OKC.
Coach Jason Kidd said the Mavericks will use the three returnees from health and safety protocols. However, their minutes will be limited to some degree, he said.
“We have a limit on minutes,” Kidd said. “Hopefully we’ll get them as close as we can to those minutes the first night back. It’s kind of like a Christmas gift, I would suppose, being able to get three guys back who play heavy minutes. It’s been a long nine-day trip.
“We’re not going to have Luka out there for 38 minutes.”
In addition to the return of Luka, Kleber and Hardaway, the Mavericks ill have Frank Ntilikina available against the Thunder. He missed Friday’s game at Sacramento with an ankle issue.
Trey Burke, Boban Marjanovic, Isaiah Thomas and JaQuori McLaughlin all remain in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
As for how Doncic has been upon returning to the Mavericks, Kidd said: “I saw him this morning. He’s in great spirits. I think they’re excited to be back. It just seems longer than what it is.”
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